Search knives on the internet and click on images. You should see pictures of pretty much any kind of knife you can think of.

Dale

I would recommend the book, Knifemaking with Bib Loveless, by Durwood Hollis. It covers the making of the Drop Point Hunter from start to finish.

Best of Luck!

Bob

I agree with Dale. When I was starting out making knives I had no idea what a good knife should look like so I looked up "handmade knives" or "Handmade hunting knives" on the internet and looked at as many knives as possible to get ideas. After a while you start coming up with your own ideas and designs.

Wes

Scott,

Photos of knives can be a good resource to help generate ideas and draw inspiration. You can find a hundreds of them on Jim Cooper's website at this link: http://sharpbycoop.com/jalbum/index.html

However, when designing a knife, which is first and foremost a cutting tool, the most important considerations are not always adequately captured in a photo. Ask yourself what you want the knife to be able to do, and then come up with a design to suit that that purpose. Think about things like handle ergonomics, balance, edge geometry, etc. Draw upon your own experiences in the kitchen and in the field, and ask other experienced users of knives for their input as well.

Perhaps if you tell us what kind of a knife you want to make and what you hope to use it for, the members of this forum will be able to share some more specific design considerations based upon their own experiences.

Thanks guys I appreciate your info.

Scott, another resource is the Knives Annuals books. The first came out in 1981 I believe. Hundreds of knife pictures of all assorted shapes and sizes. Krause publications has some back issues, but you will have to use ebay for the earlier ones.

Brion

Thanks Brion.

Scott were you looking for paper dolls? I have started my search as well for them or something i can print out for sizing. I recently had the opportunity to restore a Cattersgus WWII Knife (spelling is off) and when i took everything apart a made a paper doll of it. Now i have a pattern and made one out of it. Was a fun project though my shoulders were 90's instead of rounded which i learned today on the forums.